Quote:
Posted by
Carmen
The reason why this holistic method works is that these farmers mimic how nature worked on the great plains of America and also the savannahs of Africa. Back in the days when vast herds of animals occupied the great grasslands of the world, the animals (often several thousand at a time consisting of many types of animals) would move as a herd into a grassed area. They would graze, trample, poo and pee, then the predators would appear and start picking off the weak and the old. The herd would then move on to the next area of standing mature grassland. They would not return to the first site for several weeks or months. Not until the grasses had completely recovered. this is how the deserts and dry lands of the planet can be brought back to useful production and waterways can be replenished and cleaned. Many area that are now shut off from grazing animals are degenerating to desert.
I refer you to the work of Alan Savory, Ian Mitchell-Inness and many others. The before and after pictures of this managed grazing is astounding and very inspiring. Just google the names to see the evidence.
I am about to start using this method on my own farm and I'm really excited about the possibilities.
I recently witnessed a mere accident that was working itself out in the high deserts of Nevada.
One lone house had a corral with a few horses, the environment is terribly hot, particularly this year... I was taking a short walk on this hot day and I was stopped in my tracks by a pack of wild horses. The corral of horses had attracted more horses, enough that the owner left a few water troughs outside the fence...
After looking around I realized these horses had been going back n forth for months-weeks, who knows! They had completely transformed the landscape, when I took a closer look I saw how the horses hooves stomped deeper ruts for more water and their pooping fertilized the desert plants. The horses constant nibbling had caused some of the perennial desert shrubs to re-grow more rapid.
Even on this horribly dry year, many types of native perennials were setting up for an august bloom. The hot soil was no longer hard as concrete I could push my hand right in.(which would almost burn you in the day heat)
Within a a few weeks with a bit of luck we had thunderstorms that brought some rain. ~The process continues~Nature knows best.
So after seeing this I must say that I back what has been said here, in the western US
the horses are rehabilitating seemingly uninhabitable lands. Perhaps I will help them.